#owly answers things

[the-ominous-owl]

4 and 6 for “let’s rest while our souls catch us up” please!

I really enjoyed that one

hi friend, thank you for asking :) i love that fic a lot

4. What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

so there's barely any dialogue in this one, but my favourite line is probably “There’s literally nothing to do here, Bea. For miles. I checked.” because i can hear her saying it in my head, and also that part is based on a roadtrip i took one time because there are vast parts of australia where there really isn't anything to do

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

it's the fic that got me writing again.

i'd written for SC and a couple others but i'd been struggling with it for a couple years and i was pretty convinced i'd lost the spark, but then this stupid nun show came along and straight up murdered me.

i wrote the whole fic in one go in a sort of daze immediately after finishing season 2 because i had too many feelings and needed to catharsise about it for 3k words

so yes, it's one of my favourites for a lot of reasons

ask me questions

[nekrosmos]

Graves: How many languages do you speak?

Aedeus: A few. Why?

Graves:

Graves: Cuz you're really good with your tongue.

Aedeus: Ohh.... is someone making requests?

Graves: 👉👈 maybe........

I FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS ONE NOOOO. This is incredibly on point :3c Aedeus loves playing with him, and Graves is very needy with them teehee. They're very good with their tongue alright !!

[writingwithcolor]

Judaism, Angels, and Monstrosity

@neapolitangirl asked:

I'm writing a story about the angel Muriel traveling through a world inspired by American folklore (Ex. The Bell Witch, Fearsome Critters, etc) while hunting demons. I wanted to draw inspiration from the legend that says Muriel and Abaddon are one and the same because I thought it was interesting. However, I also know that Abaddon is important to Jewish cosmology and wanted to avoid any unfortunate implications. Muriel is very skittish and kind of a coward, but turns into the more violent and vengeful Abaddon in the presence of demons. Appearance-wise both Muriel and Abaddon are tall and skinny, but Muriel is more like an owly-human while Abaddon is a spiky skeletal being. Would this be connecting Judaism to monstrosity? Also, is there anything else I should try to avoid?

So…angelology, the whole idea of angels with names and personalities and individual jobs, is just…not something the average Jewish person thinks or cares about, even the ones who know a little about it. Not that it’s bad, it’s just not something that is prominent enough that it would have tropes attached that we might be able to warn you against.

That said, we’re posting on the Niche Scholarship and Special Interest website, so if there’s a reader who happens to have a lot of knowledge and feelings about Jewish angelology we would welcome the contribution and specialized expertise.

As it stands, my instinct is to give these more general considerations:

Balancing Jewish and Christian Elements

To what degree are you trying to tell a Jewish story, a Christian story that does not harm Jewish readers, or a story strongly influenced by Christian ideas about the heavens in a way that does not harm Jewish readers? How does deciding where you fall among those distinctions affect how you construct your story, and how you portray your angels?

Jewish Concept of God and Angelic Appearances

To Jews, God Godself does not have a physical body or visible appearance. If you’re describing the appearance of God as you’re navigating your angel-centering narrative, you’re squarely outside the territory of inclusivity toward Jewish readers. That’s okay, if you’re clear with readers that you’re not telling a Jewish story. It’s not okay if you’re trying to conflate Jewish and Christian ideas into a single narrative when they are often incompatible.

Angelic Appearances and Jewish Scripture

Angels might have appearances, and some descriptions of some types of angels in some Jewish scriptures have body parts of various animals. I haven’t the foggiest clue if it matters to anyone what appearances belong to which angels, so if it matters to someone reading this I hope they will speak up.

Are angels Jewish? This is a subject that could make for a fun discussion among Jewish people as a way of exploring the nature of Jewishness, but in your narrative you will have to think this through in your own way. If your angels engage in Jewish practices, then what does that look like and why, and if they don’t, why don’t they? The answer to that may of course be “Because I’m not actually telling a Jewish story.”

Christian Themes and Sensitivity to Jewish Culture

It’s okay to not be telling a Jewish story. But in that case keep in mind what demonstrations of Jewishness you include in a Christian story.

Especially, if you’re depicting a divine Jesus, or a Jesus character with any type of more-than-human powers or ancestry, or you are including any reference to the idea that Christianity might be in any way objectively correct, then you must tread EXTREMELY CAREFULLY with including any depiction of Jewish practice in your work, as the line where depiction turns to appropriation is in that case extremely near.

In all things, try and avoid depicting Jewish humans and any character who might be Jewish or be seen as Jewish in ways that are otherwise harmful: we’ve often talked about tropes around greed, sneakiness, power-grabbing, gender and sexual dynamics, and other tropes that apply to portrayals of Jewish characters. If your angels are Jewish, or Jew-ish in flavor, that goes for them as well.

Again, I know absolutely zero about Muriel and Abbadon and am not very interested in learning more as their lore has zero bearing on my Jewish practice in any way, and that’s a somewhat important point to me to be making because…2J3O. Two Jews, three opinions. So again, if a reader does in fact have knowledge and opinions about the specific angels themselves, please speak up.

–Meir

[twilightkitkat]

Hi, first of all, I want to tell you that I adore your stories and ideas, I love your content and you are one of my favorite Poolverine /Deadclaws writers ♥️♥️♥️♥️

1. I have a question, will you continue the story where the X-Men react to Logan and Wade's happy relationship, will you leave poor Logan alone? Or will they try to sabotage their relationship to get "their" Wolverine back and try (in vain) to fix things with him?

2. I would like to see the Avengers' reaction when they find out that Steve knows Logan, I have a feeling that knowing that he is no longer part of the X-Men, they would try to get him to join them, but Logan's answer would be a definitive NO, mainly because neither team wants Wade, Logan won't go anywhere without him, on the contrary, the two of them would show others what a real team is.

Thank you very much for your attention and I hope I have not made any mistakes in my writing 🥺♥️

Omg, thank you so much ♥️♥️♥️ it means a lot to know that people like my writing and that my blog has become one of your favorites.

I've been considering making a sequel to it with a different scenario and continuing to write about how the X-men adjust to this new Logan. While a few of them (Rogue and Colossus) know that Logan doesn't want to return and why, the rest would have a more difficult time accepting it.

I think that the X-men tend to view Logan's feelings as secondary and subconsciously look down on him. They treat themselves as more important and prioritize their feelings and perspectives over Logan's, which was reinforced in the movies. The best word to describe them is egocentric—they don't consciously think that they're above Logan and not all have high self-esteem, but they tend to have difficulties empathizing with him and seeing things from his perspective.

However, I don't think they're intentionally malicious. They wouldn't see what they're doing as "sabotage" because they want the best for Logan (in their eyes), but they would try to separate him from Wade to convince him that they're right. They'd see it as a necessary evil and think that there needs to be a divide because Wade has influenced him. However, in reality, they just feel uncomfortable seeing Logan act so close to Wade because it forces them to confront the way they treated him and how he never acted like that. They also aren't very receptive to change in their social order, and Logan breaking off is a pretty big one.

As for the Avengers' reaction, I think it'd be one of shock. Captain America isn't just the Poster Boy of America, he's the symbolic leader of the Avengers. He's this strong, moral, righteous figure who doesn't show weakness and always looks ahead. He opens up just enough to form an emotional connection with them, but he largely keeps his deeper feelings and doubts to himself.

So when Logan shows up and Steve acts less like a figurehead and more like a person, it's... uncanny. Not necessarily bad, but unnerving. They aren't used to seeing Steve relax and laugh and show genuine emotion. When the two reminisce on the past, Steve's face becomes clouded with nostalgia and regret, and when Logan places a hand on his shoulder Steve leans into it gratefully. He smiles and relaxes and the Avengers feel like they're seeing a new side of Steve, a glimpse into the scared and mortal soldier he was instead of the unstoppable hero he became.

Aside from Logan, they know about The Wolverine. They know about his feats and strengths and a few have worked alongside him in the past. He has an impressive resume, and if he hadn't been swept away by the X-men then the Avengers would've taken him in gladly.

Except now, he isn't part of the X-men. So the Avengers ask. It's a perfect fit, really. Logan is strong and capable and has a strong moral compass, he'd fit right in. Throw in the added bonus of being friends with Steve and being able to comfort him and it's a done deal.

Except... Logan refuses. Point blank.

The rest of the Avengers blink owlishly, but Steve gives an understanding smile and nod of the head. When they ask why, his answer drops their jaws even further.

"You rejected Wade, and he's my partner. I'm not joining any fucking team he's not a part of," Logan grumbles.

And that's how the Avengers find out that apparently, The Wolverine was partners with Deadpool. A few had heard rumors from the underground that The Wolverine had been doing vigilante work alongside Deadpool, but they'd thought it was a temporary thing. Something to repay his debt and occupy his time until he found another team. It makes sense that Logan didn't want to rejoin the X-men, he had a lot of history with them, but he shouldn't have an issue joining a better team. There's no way he'd be attached to Deadpool of all people, right?

But that was exactly the case. The Wolverine was apparently dedicated to spending the rest of his days in this universe by Deadpool's side. The tips of his ears turn red when he talks about Wade, and Steve has a knowing and private smile when he listens to him. (He'd anticipated this. How could he not, after meeting Wade and seeing how Logan looked at him like he was his whole world? It'd be nice to work with Logan again, but Steve was fine with settling for the occasional team-up. He wouldn't want to separate them.)

It's... a bit of a blow to the ego, to be honest. To know that The Wolverine chose Deadpool over them like it was obvious. That he didn't even think twice about their offer. To know that Logan thought someone they rejected was more valuable to work with than them.

They thought he was crazy until they saw the pair in action.

Witnessing the easy and impeccable teamwork between Logan and Wade was like watching lightning strike. The two moved with a fluidity the Avengers had never seen before, weaving in and out of each other's attacks like they were telepathically connected. Logan's strength balanced Wade's speed, and when Logan would slash Wade would shoot. They were terrifyingly fast and efficient, cutting through the enemies like butter.

It's in that moment that they understand why The Wolverine chose Deadpool over them. He was right in his choice.

[ask-the-shiny-pokemons]

Probably gonna write something for 2024 because it'll be a 1 year since I've joined the community and therefore created this very askblog. And I've created two blogs already (where one is for multiple stories rather than one) and I've no time to answer everything at once.

This year has many downs for me, but it has many ups too. And thanks to being positive by watching entertaining videos and of course seeing content from artists and writers (including from ask bloggers).

I'm gonna thanking those people below:

Nori (@harmonia-university) - big thank you for being an inspiration for my blogs. If it wasn't you, there's no way I could create the characters, like the Virbank Baddies, Wil, etc. And of course thanks for posting silly comics about the university life, although there some serious content recently, like the ongoing plot.

Fern (@book-of-legends) - big thank you for being a #1 fan of my blogs. I'm really happy that you were curious about my universe and my characters (especially Rimi and Noelle), and of course I'm curious about yours too.

Mikey (@askdeoxys) - big thank you for gathering the community here and of course being positive despite the negative things that happened in your life.

Migmog (@ask-the-royal-absol) - big thank you for Destino and for ruining everyone's days and making frenemies out of them (like with Rimi). /j /lh. But seriously, you are the awesome person. I loved to attend the drawing streams and hear your thoughts and stories.

Owli (@askvekpa) - big thank you for Lunch Birthday Bash and of course thank you for the silly characters, although you're now have more serious blogs. But with RATS!

Kuixotic (@asktheisle) - big thank you for sending positivity to everyone! And of course I can't wait to see more dragons for you in the year of the dragon. And of course Nat.

And of course OG and Mega (@askpokepals) - literally big TYSM for a unique world where humans and anthro mons live. I literally love your characters, like Ninasha and Skarla. They would be a good friends with Rimi and Wil respectively.

Also I'm thanking everyone that I haven't mentioned. But still I'm thanking them for being very awesome and for an awesome content they made.

I'll see you all in 2024!

[panchulien]

Hi!! Hello!!!

I think I missed something but what do you mean with Argos?

Is it a fandom thing? A real life thing? Or the ancient greek city Diomedes is from?

You don't have to answer, this is kinda pointless. But I was curious what you meant.

LOVE the fact that you got into MakaNolan btw, you characterize them really well<3

HELLOOO HI NO WORRIES sorry I should've elaborated before hehe.

Argos is a MakaNolan fic @jgvfhl wrote for me (the fic might be for registered users btw) and I haven't been the same ever since. I cannot praise it enough, and I'm sure Owlie is tired of hearing about it at this point.😭 Give it a read if you're into MakaNolan because it captures their dynamic so so so well and it's pure poetry it drives me mad. ANYWAYSJDNDJF yeah I just. I just love this fic man. Ugh. Lovely idiots.

[mosneakers]

Questions for Starling: 8, 13, 22, and 41. 😊

Thank goodness someone asked Starling some questions! She was about to have a MELTDOWN, GIRL. Sorry it took so long to answer. Since we're talking Starling here, it's obligatory to be a bit more... extra 😅

8. What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?

As the oldest child of 10, Starling took it upon herself to boss her siblings around pretty often. There was no need for this, since Birdie and Ginovan were active parents, and hired plenty of help when needed. So of course her parents would often have to ask her to stop this behavior. Even to this day, she loves to employ her siblings to do tasks for her. (for example, her little sister Owlie is her assistant)

13. What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

When reached for questioning, Starling responded to this question with "Pink. All shades of pink. I definitely look better than anyone else does in pink." ...I think she may have misunderstood the question. Starling was raised by Birdie, who definitely followed a very pastel, doll-house color palette her entire life, consisting of baby-blues, powder-pinks and white. Starling, being the most like her mother, definitely adopted these colors into her wardrobe herself with the overall understanding that these colors fit her and her family's appearance the best.

However! As an actress,Starling has gotten her colors analyzed professionally many times (yes this is a real thing) And most color theory analysts agree that while her color combinations are quite an enigma, they say that her skin tone is neutral-to-cool leaning, suggesting that she can really pull off anything if she wanted to (obviously) but looks best in saturated cool tones. She really struggled emotionally with this at first, but after therapy, started experimenting with gemstone color palettes, such as rubies, teals, jades, and even black. I think these colors look absolutely striking on her and give her a more adult appearance, but the debate continues on forums dedicated to Starling Darling. She'll have to find balance in her wardrobe for sure, but what do you, the readers, all think?

22.How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

I think we've all seen plenty of instances where the way Starling presented her jealousy was less than ideal. One could definitely see it as possessive, yes. She really struggles with the possibility of being upstaged, and will go to rather theatrical lengths to one-up a sim who has wronged her.

41. How do they feel about children? 

Starling isn't super thrilled about other sims' children. They've often got snotty noses and sticky fingers, and she doesn't believe that everyone should have them. She believes straight people should have to take an evaluation before having them. However, growing up in a large family is all she's ever known and she wants the same for herself. Mira can be heard taking a sigh of relief and she specifies that she doesn't want quite as many kids as her parents had though. Also, Starling and Mira are both very busy working women. They've talked about children in the near future, but are both hesitant when it comes to pregnancy. Starling isn't so much afraid of losing her figure, she just isn't sure if her petite frame could bear a child well, and will probably seek out the service of a sturdy surrogate, with bovine-like hips that are perfect for childbearing, such as her cousin, Coraleye.

[luimagines]

(( sparring match & don't make the child mad imagine ))

The chain and blind are in warrior's hyrule and lucky in the castle training ground were soilders train as warrior zelda notice the chain with impa. Blind holding wind hand and listening to all the sounds around them til they feel a magic presence of zelda and smile.

Zelda: link you return.

Warrior: hey zelda good to see you.

Warrior induction his zelda and impa to the chain and blind and she smile greet them all and ask the chain, warrior help on help training the soilders since some of them are untrained and blind can hear from their right to faintly hear a group of soilders talking about the chain in not a good light and the child grip their hand tightly that wind flinch since he holding their hand.

Wind: Heya blind ease up on-

Blind: sorry big brother ,zelda?

Zelda look to the cute child and smile answer the child with a yes.

Blind point their finger to the small group of soilders to their right.

Blind: can I spar them?

Time was going to step in to say something but blind owly look to were they think their papa is with a look of let me do this and zelda allow it and she take blind hand to walk them to were the main training ground is as the chain follow worry for blind as those soilders that was speaking ill of the chain get armed with wooden swords.

Zelda hand blind a wooden sword too and blind test out the wooden sword by touch then lightly tap the tip to the ground to how were the tip is as the three soilders chuckle saying how easy this sparring match will be but when impa give the ok to start the match blind listen to the three soilders move and swings go and use the wooden sword to block them all and swing back calculated and fast. That two of those soilders fell to the ground since the child swings hard.

The first soilder try to do a dirty trick on the blind child but blind can easily tell he's lying and dodge so blind upper cut and the angle that that the tip of the wooden sword break off but the chain flinch to see that soilder is going to have a hard time walking later but the spar match is over.

Blind: say mean things about my family again and I'll make you regret saying it.

Zelda giggle and take blind hand to walk th back to their family *chain*

Blind: sorry big brother warrior, this wooden sword is broken.

Warrior sign and glad that they did it because someone talk bad about them but seeing two soilders groan to the bruises and the other well need a ice pack wind very very glad he's their silbing cause he doesn't want to get a hit like that ever in his life.

The soilders fear the child more than Ganondorf and doesn't dare speak about the chain in fear they'll upset the blind child.

Fierce is grinning his grandchild on their first sparring and have the child by his side since time ask him to watch them.

Wow... that's one tough six year old.

Gotta admit though- I have trouble with this one since I don't think the chain would have allowed them to spar to begin with. It would be one thing if the child used their magic to attack from afar- but this doesn't match my perception.

Good on them.

[spotsandsocks]

Oh spots, my spots - 🪐🦋🦴 for the ask game ❤️❤️❤️

Hello darling owl

🪐 3 good things going on- just answered this but I’ll look for 3 more things too…

My kittens are soft and fluffy and very cute

I have a new long blue dress with rainbow sparkles running through it I’m excited to wear in summer. I’m told it makes me look like a Princess 😆😆

I have Friday off and I’m going to rest and hopefully write

🦋 share something that’s been on your heart and mind recently

I often wonder if people who lie when multiple other people know the truth and the lie is obvious actually believe their own stories or if they know they’re lying to themselves.

🦴 is there a piece of media that inspires your writing

Oooh well obviously the buddie and fire fam is my main inspiration but as you know the books and dragons of Pern have spawn many tens of thousands of words now!! So that has to count doesn’t it?!

Thanks for hooting me over an ask my beloved owly 😘😘😘

[sa-suga]

DHKJDKSKKAAKS HOLY HECK DID I SEE THIS RIGHT KYOUKA DID YOU CLICK THE WRONG BUTTON OR STH ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME??? I'm pretty sure you clicked the wrong button 😭😭😭 but thank you 😭😭😭 this is a great thing to wake up to *sniff* you can reply to this privately if you want! I hope you have a great day, you really do deserve it, leave the assholes on their rapidly sinking ship and enjoy your time safely on an island 😤😤 sending good vibes and love!! 💖💖

NOO YOU DIDNT SEE WRONG IF NOTHING I WAS SO MAD AT MYSELF BECAUSE ??? I WAS SO SURE I CLICKED FOLLOW A LONG TIME AGO BUT I ONLY JUST NOTICED THAT I DIDNT UGH

anyway ahh good morning owly!! sending those good vibes right back at you <3

[the-ominous-owl]

hihi! would you be willing to expand on your answer for 31 ("man, parts of sentient halo au FOUGHT ME in like a knock-down-drag-out type deal")? i was just rereading it recently and now i'm curious (and if you don't feel like it, maybe 13?)

hi friend, for sure! i love talking about sentient halo au.

the last... probably three chapters? were the hardest to get out. i think it was a combination of the fact that it was the most popular thing i've written and i was putting a lot of pressure on myself to not suck because there were so many people reading it (it had, at one point, over 2000 subscribers which is a bonkers number of people), but also, dealing with the aftermath of ava and bea getting their shit together, cos my brain wanted to be like "okay, they're together now so everything's fine", but obviously it isn't because there's so much other stuff going on.

so yeah, the back third or so was a bit of a slog. chapter 7 was probably the hardest, as evidenced by how long it took me to post it lol. 8 and 9 were easier, mostly because @omomoification beta'd them for me and let me wail into her dms about it (momo my beloved <3), and we got there in the end

also cos you asked

13. Rate your worldbuilding skills from 1 to 10.

probably like a 5? ish? i'm most comfortable writing like, canon but slightly to the left. when i stray too far beyond it i tend to either get too bogged down in detail or leave everything too vague and confusing.

ask me things

[drawing-way-outside-the-lines]

TS3 World Tag Game

Rules: List your top 5 favourite Sims 3 worlds. I was tagged by my weasel friend, doing that weasel thing XD thanks @eternal-infamy​, you’ll hear from my lawyer! (I dunno weird anniversary kinda day, scuse me) Let the countdown begin: 5. Twinbrook. I adore the swampy nature of this map, and have located several of my favorite characters on this map, though I very much prefer to keep everything under one map. I just love the somewhat brooding/melancholic feel of this particular map, it speaks to my soul.

4. Hidden Springs. For about 6 years, this was my main map and the place all my characters lived. I know it’s a controversial map that has received a lot of shit-talk over the years, everything from the specific green color making people vomit, to the worst routed map of all the ea maps. *Shrug* I like it. I love the pine-filled nature, mountain and water. And I never had any issues. It will forever be my favorite ea map.

3. Saint Greer Islands. If you can look past the fact that this map has no lots, and have the courage to either download lots other kind souls have built for this map/fill it yourself, this map is truly one of the most stunning maps I ever came across. AND it runs butter smooth, for the most (at least on my pc) I dunno, it’s some kind of sorcery I bet! This map has become my main map, and I have worked over a year to populate it (cause I’m a sloth) and let me tell you, it’s way worth the work!

2. Boroughsburg. What’s not to like about this map? If you are into a big city feel, this map is the one! The care for detail and how well everything has been laid out is top tier! I love the grungy feel, yet it’s bright, big and bold! A map I can easily wander for hours without getting bored.

5. Woeford. With so many honorable mentions above, it’s a good question who stole my heart. And there can only be one answer. The map that speaks to both my heart and soul. The grunge King of all the grunge maps. The map that made me take on an AU. The tumbleweed wrestler. The desert ruler. The golden pearl. The one and only. The pile of rust, moldy toilets and run down electronics, that is Woeford. What can I say? -I like broken down shit as long as it comes in the aesthetics of Woeford! There‘s no amount of love that is high enough for this awesome map, and it deserves much more praise than it has received. If Woeford had a soundtrack, it would be the sound of a rusty metal gate, creaking in the wind.

I tag: @amphoraesims​, @buckleysims​, @venusprincess-ts3​, @dmcapoppin​ and @owly-sims​

[ladyhoneydee]

Not sure if tumblr just ate my ask but if it did, enemies to glovers??? Is this childish gambino related?

Also very intrigued by Purah tide

don't worry, tumblr didn't eat your ask! i have two from you and i love them both so much <3

i already actually answered about Enemies to Glovers in Lou's ask, which you can find here! so instead i will talk about the Purah tide fic!

this one is a challenge i issued to myself back in October, when i had a crisis about my fics always following a structure of opening action -> exposition about how we got here -> back to the action. it's supposed to be entirely in the present moment, with any exposition coming within other actions. it's also a character study about our favorite BotW scientist (sorry Robbie!) basically looking at snapshots of Purah's life between the Calamity and Link's awakening.

She submerges up to the knee to examine a suspicious white blob—it’s a clam, not a part, not useful for her work or for her princess, but Symin will be pleased—and stashes it in her satchel as well. The ocean’s chill seeps into her flesh and bones. She shivers, but it’s as much in pleasure as it is cold; the water soothes the muscles that writhe hot and nebulous beneath her skin as they sloo-o-owly revitalize. She emerges from the sea as the waters run red with dawn, tissue-paper skin encrusted with salt and legs shaky from fighting the pull of the waves that threaten to sweep her out and wipe her clean; to set her adrift in the relief of riptides rather than time. Down the beach, the first fisherman of the day drags his dinghy to the water. When he sees her, he gives the briefest nod, an acknowledgement worth little. The people of Hyrule will not forgive her so long as her hands are stained with the birthing blood of the machines that killed their loved ones.  Well. Good thing she’s building new hands. Snap.

[tigirl-and-co]

Okay, here it is! Alonzo and the chaos twins are siblings and you can't change my mind <3 This is draft one, I'm too exhausted to do editing rn. If I realize I don't hate it tomorrow, I'll edit it and upload it to AO3.

//

Alonzo remembers the first thing they broke.

There was a horrible noise from the other room, something between a thud and a shatter, and two kittens ran for his side faster than he had ever seen anything, let alone a kitten, move. Once he finally got them to stop shaking, they looked up at him, still all fluff and watery kitten eyes.

“‘Zo,” his little sister started.

“We broke somefink…” his little brother finished.

Well, how about that? Alonzo gave them each a gentle lick on the top of the head and smiled.

“Let’s go see the damage done, huh?” Alonzo knew that they were just being kittens, seeing what they could do, what boundaries they could push. He walked into the kitchen and heard them patter along behind him. A tiny clay pot lay in shard next to the table. Thankfully, it had been devoid of any plants or soil. Alonzo turned around to face the culprits, who were huddled together and taking turns staring at their elder brother and the evidence of their crime.

“Teazer, Mungo, are either of you hurt?” They weren’t and he knew it, he had checked them over himself.

They both shook their heads before trundling up to him and shoving their heads as far as they could into his side. “Love you, Lozzo…” they said in perfect unison, asking for forgiveness that they had yet to learn he could never withhold from them

“That’s good, I’m glad you’re both safe,” he purred, wrapping himself around them. “I love you too.”

~~~

Alonzo also remembers the next time they broke something.

Again, a noise from the next room over, although this noise was decidedly more upsetting. No thud, just the incredibly distinct sound of something very large, very fragile, and very much made of fine, fine crystal shattering and scattering across tiled floor. The sort of large, fragile something that was a two-cat job. The sort of fine crystal thing that most certainly took two older kittens a very large amount of determination to break.

This time, there were no tiny bodies racing to his side. So he moseyed on over to the counter they were sitting on, and saw the twins transfixed on the glittering carnage they had created, eyes wide as the Jellicle moon. They only noticed their brother when he let out an impatient cough, and instantly their heads snapped to face him. Their eyes were still wide, but it wasn’t hard to notice that the both of them were fighting back grins.

“And what, exactly, happened here?” Alonzo asked, gesturing to the crystalline remnants of whatever the two of them had destroyed.

It was his brother who spoke up. “It was, uh, an accident?” Rumpleteazer couldn’t help snorting at that, and Alonzo rolled his eyes.

“Wrong. I know for a fact that centerpiece weighed more than the two of you combined. The humans had to use two hands to move it. Care to try again?”

Mungojerrie was slowly losing the fight with his grin, which turned what was an owly stare from above into one that strayed a bit more towards Cheshire territory. He answered his brother after a few moments of deliberation. “...We wanted to see what would happen.”

Alonzo jumped up on the counter to join his siblings, and show them his displeasure for their shenanigans a bit more closely. He looked down at the remains and then rather pointedly back to the twins. “And what ended up happening?”

“It broke!” Teazer couldn’t disguise her squeal of delight at the announcement. The glee in her eyes was unmistakable, the image of the centerpiece shattering into brilliant, radiant pieces forever burned into her mind.

Alonzo let out a sigh that was not yet long-suffering, but would soon come to be so. “Yes, Teazer. It broke. And that’s bad.”

All delight was drained from her face- her big brother was mad at her! “I’m sorry, Zo! I won’t do it again, promise!” Whether or not she meant it at that moment, the promise wouldn’t last. Her big, teary eyes she got when scolded wouldn’t last her forever.

Mungojerrie snorted. “And why is it bad? Give me one good reason we shouldn’t have broken it. It’s not like the humans used it for anything anyway…”

Teazer nestled up to her twin and started nibbling on his ear in an attempt to keep him calm. She had never seen her siblings fight, not really, and she certainly didn’t want to see one now.

Alonzo rose up to his unimpressive full height, himself still not full-grown. “Well, for one, you could have gotten hurt!” He was fully indignant, not used to having his authority as the eldest challenged. “What if you had slipped and fallen on your face? What if you stepped on a bit of it and gotten poked in the paw!”

Both twins winced, not only from the imagery but also the tone from their brother, who had never been more than mildly annoyed at them before.

Alonzo’s tail was lashing in irritation now. “And for two, I wanna be the Jellicle protector when I grow up! What if they find out I couldn’t even protect my own house from my siblings? They’ll laugh me out of the junkyard…” The eldest sibling’s steam seemed to have gone, and he hung his head low.

This, more so than the verbal lashing, caught the twins’ attention. They looked at each other, silently making a pact to cheer up their sibling. They would not stand for a sad Alonzo, not now and not ever. They slunk up to him and pressed themselves into his side.

“We’re sorry, ‘Zo,” Teazer told him, rubbing his cheek with her cheek.

“We promise to never ever ever let them find out about this.” Jerrie chimed in, and began licking the back of his head in an attempt to comfort him.

Alonzo looked up slowly.

“You promise?”

“We promise.”

~~~

The only other broken thing Alonzo remembers came much later.

The twins were fairly grown up, with just a hint of kitten fluff, and Alonzo himself was a full-grown adult, training to help protect the junkyard.

It was dark, deep into the night, or perhaps into the morning, and the rain had let up less than an hour before, leaving everything damp outside. Alonzo was simply lazing about the house, sitting contentedly on a blanket on the floor, when he heard the cat flap open and someone come in, and then it closed before opening again. This was unusual, since the twins were usually so close together the flap didn’t have time to close between the two. Still, Alonzo didn’t bother turning around.

What Alonzo missed was the irregular pawsteps of one of his siblings.

Mungojerrie ran up to him first. “Big bro-”

“‘Zo… I think I broke something…” his sister cut him off to make her own announcement.

Under normal circumstances, Alonzo would respond with a snort and a curt ‘Well leave me out of it!’ But this wasn’t normal circumstances. He could hear the sorrow in his sister’s voice, a voice smaller than it had ever been. He whipped around to see her trembling, holding her paw so it wouldn’t touch the ground. He saw her eyes, big and watery like they were when she was small. She had been crying, possibly even the whole way home. Her breath was ragged. A kitten who had gotten her first reality check and she couldn’t handle it, not without her big brother by her side.

Alonzo walked over to her and nuzzled her neck. “Hey, don’t worry, I’m here now. I’ll keep you safe.” He licked her neck and nibbled her ear, doing his best to feel like a strong but gentle presence.

Finally feeling safe, her crying started up again. She let it all out. Mungojerrie quickly joined in, sniveling a bit and rubbing her sides with his head. They stayed like that for some time, all three of them together in the early hours of the morning.

Finally, Teazer’s eyes had mostly run dry and her sobbing subsided. Alonzo gave her one final lick on the bridge of her nose and looked at her. “Do you want me to go get the human?”

She shook her head. “No… please just stay here, tonight. Please?”

Alonzo knew he could never deny her, especially when she was hurt. “Of course. Goodnight, Teazer. Goodnight, Mungo.”

The reply was simultaneous:

“Goodnight, Lozzo. We love you.”

[catsnuggler]

1-5?

I'm answering my own questions in response to this post.

Answers under the "read more" because this got long.

1. Do you identify as an apostate, exvangelical, ex-(denomination), heretic, or something else? I identify as ex-mormon (straight to the point), apostate (because that's what I am), and heretic because it sounds a lot more charged than apostate, in my opinion, even though technically a heretic is someone who is of a particular persuasion but refuses to accept the established religious dogma of that persuasion. In technical terms, I'm an apostate, but my dad, who is still Mormon but differs from the church radically in religious and political beliefs, is the heretic, not me. But, again, I just like the word. It brings to my mind an angry Crusader about to attack me, charging me with heresy and exclaiming that I'll be punished for my sins and treachery against the One True Faith - and to think of myself as an enemy of Crusaders is badass. Even though I'm really just some weak guy who sits around criticizing things.

2. How would you describe your current beliefs? Deconversion was as much a political as a religious process for me. I had to turn away from the liberal democracy at best, conservatism at most common, theocracy at worst political outlook of Mormonism, toward anarchist communism, which resonates best with my political desire for global liberation from both sociopolitical and economic tyranny. Additionally, the church is founded on colonialism, and warming up to decolonization is also part of my deconversion.

But this question is more specifically about religious beliefs, so, onto those: while most exmos are atheists, I'm a hard polytheist. I worship the Norse gods right now. I don't do so regularly, nor do I think they're the only ones deserving of worship; the idea that this or that god is unworthy of worship just because they're outside of ones tradition is an idea I've also had to reject. No, it's just that the Norse/Germanic gods are the ones I felt most pulled to. Generally, us Norse (neo)pagans/polytheists/"Heathens" also practice land worship and ancestor veneration, but given the settler-colonial context I'm part of, I'm still dealing with psychological as well as overarching political barriers with regard to such practices. The Norse god I feel most attracted to is Odin, although I do have to resist the "he's basically God" view that's been drilled into my head and is reinforced constantly by culturally Christian ex-Christian Heathens, particularly those of what we call "brosatru" and "(br)odinist" persuasions.

I've also had to unlearn a lot of antisemitism and islamophobia either directly taught as part of Mormonism, or otherwise commonly accepted in Mormon culture.

3. Have you gotten emotional support from friends in deconverting/deconstructing? Would you like more support? Have you found any online? Yes, yes, most definitely. The most support I got from @sleepyowlet. I can thank her for opening my mind up to anarchism, communism, and heathenry, while remaining respectful and understanding. I already had questions, she simply encouraged me and provided an alternative perspective, one which I ultimately found refreshing and made the most sense to me.

I haven't known too terribly many ex-mormons in person, though, and that would be rather refreshing and healing; bonus points if we've come to about the same politico-religious conclusions, yet still bear unique viewpoints to open the others' minds. That's more support I wish I had.

The /r/exmormon subreddit is somewhat helpful, and I'm also looking in the #exmo/#exmormon/#apostake etc tags on tumblr to find others to talk about this with.

4. Was any person, book, or something else instrumental in your deconversion? I don't like the guy, but... oh, hell, what was his name? The atheist with the talkshow, he's also an islamophobic asshole. Bill Maher, I think his name is? I saw a documentary by him that left me depressed and atheist for about a week, maybe two weeks? Which increased the questions I had. I was also already friends with a lot of atheists, growing up, so I was constantly exposed to non-mormon, non-Christian viewpoints. I mentioned Owly, of course. I haven't read many books. And, oddly enough, one of the most instrumental individuals to my deconversion is my Mormon dad. He is an odd duck, as previously mentioned, in the Mormon faith. He's very sad, because as I grew up, he taught my siblings and I all the bad things he knew about the church, but he did so to inoculate us so we wouldn't learn anyway down the road, with no previous idea of, say, how the Mountain Meadows Massacre really happened, and spiral into a faith crisis. He wanted to be living evidence that, though the other Mormons keep themselves blind and thoughtless, thinking that doing so is faith and righteousness, that one could be Mormon and still have a heart and mind. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for myself, my older sister, and my younger sibling (not my older brother, though, as he is still a firm believer), his revelations to us led in large part to us leaving the church.

5. Who have you told about your deconversion/change in beliefs? I'm guessing this post is about people I know in meatspace, particularly close friends, folks still in the cult, and/or family members. My old bishop knows, one of the guys in the stake presidency who knew me back when we used to be in the same ward together knew because he was the one who fucking blabbed about me requesting my records be removed from the church to my dad, fuck you "Brother" [REDACTED]. Though I didn't tell him, technically, it just ended up in his lap after I got the lawyer to send the request, and breaching my request for fucking privacy, he told my dad. Asshole! Anyway. Anyway. Any fucking way. I've told my grandparents on my mom's side - well, bio-grandpa and step-grandma. Bio-maternal-grandma died years ago, one year after my mom died. I haven't told my dad's side yet, strangely, even though they live much further away and so I'm thus in far less physical contact with the convert side of my family than I am the pioneer side, who are just to the East/Southeast in Idaho, Utah, and a few in Arizona. I'm not sure how many I told I'm pagan, because I forgot, but they at least know that I'm not Mormon. I know I told my grandparents I'm pagan, though.

[prrplwtch]

Hiii! Can I can an angst post about Simeon dating MC and becoming a fallen angel, only to catch her kissing one of the demon brothers a few days later? Would he forgive MC or would he regret all his decisions he’s made until that point? Hope this is okay, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want!

Hi nonnie :) Here we go 💜

A/N: I’ll probably write  another one  fallen angel!Simeon fic, as I did not get to discuss some of the things I wanted in this one. 

“The fall” Simeon x f!MC

He knows it’s inevitable – he can feel his light fade with every passing day.

So when Diavolo summons to his study, saying that a letter arrived for Simeon from the Celestial Realm, he knows what’s coming. Diavolo must know too, Simeon has no doubt, though nothing in his face betrays this knowledge.

“I hope you will return to us soon,” Diavolo tells him before Simeon departs for the Celestial Realm, “You are a valued member of our exchange program.”

There is no time for farewells, and all Simeon hopes for as bright light flashes before his eyes is that he will get to see her again.

The audience with Michael is as bitter as Simeon expected it to be – Michael’s voice is stern, his eyes – cold, and he does little to hide his disappointment. Still Simeon does not flinch in the face of accusations – he has already made his choice and peace with its consequences.

“I was appalled to learn of your behavior in the Devildom,” Michael tells him, as he looks Simeon in the face, “It completely crossed the line. Have you forgotten who you are? Lowering yourself like that…Even still, our father is ready to show you mercy – all you have to do is give up this folly and repent, and you shall be allowed to remain in the Celestial realm.”

Simeon looks at Michael and remains quiet. There’s nothing in the three realms that could ever make him give her up. Michael looks like he already knows his answer – yet he waits for Simeon to utter the words that will seal his fate.

“I will not,” Simeon says, simply.

Michael’s gaze burns and it’s hard to look him in the face – has he always looked so bright? – but Simeon does not waver, even when he sees flaming sword in Michael’s hand.

“We were brothers once,” Michael says, “So I’ll tell you as a brother – you are making a huge mistake.”

Simeon remains silent.

“Very well,” Michael says then, “You are hereby banished from the Celestial Realm forever.”

The flaming sword flashes before Simeon’s eyes, and for a moment all he can feel is excruciating pain. Then suddenly, it is as though the abyss opens underneath his feet and consumes him…

When he returns to himself, he knows not where he is or how long has passed since the fall. His body aches and he dares not look at his wings, though he knows at least one was damaged by the fall. Still he is grateful, as he has lived to see her again. 

When he returns to the Devildom, he finds himself in Diavolo’s castle.

“Ah,” Diavolo says, upon seeing him, “I see the visit went less well than expected.”

Simeon does not know what to say – all he wants is to see MC.

“Well, although you were banished from the Celestial Realm, we cannot exactly find another exchange student half-way through the year,” Diavolo says slowly, “So you may remain at the Academy. But first we’ll need to take a look at those wounds.”

Simeon tries to refuse, but Diavolo is insistent – and he remains in the castle for a few days. It does not take long before his wounds heal – though fallen, he is still an angel. Several days pass before he dares looking at his wings and sees that all feathers are black. Though he expected it, the sight still shocks and hurts him.

No one comes to see him– Diavolo insists that he has told both MC and the brothers that Simeon was recovering in the castle.

“Perhaps, they want to give you time to rest and recover,” Diavolo tells him when Simeon asks about them.

A few more days pass before he is allowed to return to the Academy, and Simeon feels both nervous and elated. He will finally get to see her, after all this time, but he is fearful of how she could react once she learns he is a fallen angel.

Still he tells himself to trust her love.

He sees her as soon as he walks up to the second floor – and feels his heart break in a million pieces.

MC is standing by one of the windows, embracing Asmodeus and kissing him passionately.

The fall was painful beyond imagining, yet, somehow, this feels worse.

The room spins before Simeon’s eyes, and, suddenly, a burning rage uncoils in his chest the likes of which he’s never felt before. He has never felt the desire to hurt someone before. It scares him. It takes all self-control he has remaining to stop himself from doing something he may regret. Instead, he turns around and heads down the stairs and out of the academy. His heart is racing in his chest and his mind feels frazzled. He does not hear MC call after him.

She catches up to him in the schoolyard.

“Simeon wait!” she exclaims, and he stops, “We need to talk.”

He does not want to talk to her – and cannot bring himself to look at her. But he’s already given up so much for this, so what’s a few more minutes?

Slowly, he turns to her. MC’s face is pale – paler than any human’s should be and there are dark circles under her eyes. Immediately he feels his anger recede and has to stifle the urge to comfort her.

“You came back,” MC murmurs as she slowly approaches him.

Came back?

“I have been back for over a week,” Simeon tells her, confused by MC’s reaction.

“What?” there is a flash of anger on MC’s face, “You have been back a week and didn’t let me know?! How dare you!”

Simeon looks at her wide-eyed.

“You disappear without a word and then you come back and still don’t think it’s necessary to let me know!” MC says as she takes another step towards him, “I knew you cared little for a lowly human like me, but I have never thought you cared that little.”

“What are you talking about?” Simeon asks, desperately trying to understand MC.

“Diavolo told me that you went back to Celestial Realm for good,” MC spits out, “Tell me, what am I supposed to feel when the man I love leaves me without even saying goodbye?”

Simeon’s heart pounds in his chest, as he looks at MC. Did Diavolo actually say that?

“So you didn’t know that I was back?” he asks then.

“Of course not,” MC scoffs, “Who would have told me?”

Suddenly everything falls into places. But of course…

“I’m sorry I disappeared without a warning,” Simeon tells her finally, “But I was summoned to the Celestial Realm for an urgent matter, and had no chance to say my farewells.”

“And what matter is that?” MC asks, narrowing her eyes.

“I have been banished from Celestial Realm,” he tells her simply.

There’s confusion on MC’s face for a moment, and then he can see terror in her eyes.

“They banished you?” she whispers, bringing her hand to her mouth.

“They have,” Simeon nods calmly.

“So you are now a fallen angel?” MC asks, as tears well up in her eyes. “I am,” Simeon nods, taking a deep, shaky breath to calm himself. He is scared of what she might say next.

Suddenly, instead of saying anything, MC closes the distance between them and pulls him in for a hug. The warmth of her body against his feels positively soothing.

“I am so sorry,” she says through tears, “This is all my fault. I should have known better than…”

“Shh,” he says, as he strokes her hair, “Do not blame yourself, this was my choice – and I am ready to accept the consequences. Our love meant more to me than anything else.”

“Even still,” MC replies, “Ah, Simeon, I am so sorry.”

He holds her in his arms, and at her touch the burning sensation in his chest seems to disappear, replaced by warmth.

“If I only I knew,” MC sobs, “I would have never… I thought you were never coming back.”

“I understand that now,” he replies, kissing the top of her head.

“When I thought you left me, I was so sad. Asmo comforted me and offered me a distraction,” MC says in a voice no louder than a whisper, “I should have never agreed. If only I knew…I don’t deserve you. I’m so sorry for doubting your love. Could you ever forgive me?”

True love is patient and kind and, above all, forgiving.

“I already have,” Simeon replies, and MC pulls back to look him in the face.

Seeing her smile fills him with warmth.

“Do you still love me?” she asks, her eyes betraying just how nervous she is.

“I could never stop,” he tells her with a smile.

MC sighs softly as she hugs him tighter.

“And I love you,” she replies.

And that is all he needs to hear – he leans in then and kisses her. The kiss is featherlight and soft, just like the first one they ever shared. He knows it will not be easy, but for the first time since being banished, he feels truly at peace. As long as he has her by his side, nothing could scare him.

Fic list